Wicked Game
by khatariah
Summary: Bad things happen when Daedras get interested in you. Khanna isn't that special, a young and ambitious scholar with a knack for getting in trouble and making miraculous escapes. She isn't the Dragonborn, nor is she a powerful mage. All she has is her brain and deft hands. Is that enough to survive a game with devils? OC, D-born, Daedra and many others! RATED:T-may later switch to M
1. Learning the Rules

**1. Learning the Rules**

"Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively." - Dalai Lama XIV

Khanna Allard was never a pious person. She couldn't help but roll her eyes when others started preaching their philosophies to her. Perhaps Gods created her, but she had no intention of leaving her fate to in their hands. Her future was her own and she survived all these years using her skills and her brain, not talking her enemies into death.

And yet, in the strange turn of events she was stuck in an ancient temple devoted to who-knows-who, freezing her brains out. Perhaps coming to Skyrim on such short notice was a bad idea, and yet she couldn't let an opportunity to collect more treasure and knowledge to slip her fingers. Straightening her spine she looked over towards the middle of the room. Her companion friend was spinning the pillars effortlessly around.

"You said you know how to pass the traps and puzzles." she said with a deep sigh. Like killing all those monstrosities wasn't enough, now she even had to waste her time here.

"We are alive." the thick Khajiit accent made her fringe a bit "No trap got to us!" he continued spinning the middle of the three pillars not really paying attention to her.

"So, we won't die from swinging blades, nor will we perish in flames… We will starve in an ancient hallway?" Khanna cocked her head on the side, thinking about her sarcastic comment. It was too close to truth. Her Khajiit friend didn't answer that, but continued trying to solve the puzzle. Utterly bored and irritated by the fact that she was so close to get her hands on some ancient scripts she started pacing through the hallway, rumbling though the ruined books.

A loud noise made her raise her head towards the large gate that was opening before her eyes. The fool seemed to finally guessed the combination. It was about time. Throwing the unreadable scripts back in the dirt, she hurried towards the gate.

"I, Dar'kajo, solved legendary ancient Nordic puzzle." he boasted while picking up his gear from the ground.

Khanna tried to ignore him as she studied the script on the walls of the long hallway. The inscribed texts were mainly lost and impossible to translate in the state they were in. She could, although recognize a word or two. It was a strange script, obviously ancient Nordic and yet it used some expressions that didn't belong to that civilization. Frowning she shortly wrote some of the remarks in her journal before returning it back to her bag. She needed to return here and investigate this further on her way back.

On the other side, her Khajiit companion continued boasting his skills and his intelligence. He only stopped on moments so he could pick up a gem or two or some interesting object he thought could be sold off for good money.

"Do the scribbles on the wall say anything about treasure?" he asked as they continued their way. Khanna was now suspicious of the calmness surrounding them. No draugr was on sight and it was utterly quiet. In her book, this was never a good omen, so she was readying herself to get her blades at any moment.

"The scribbles are... Confusing. Just scattered words on stone that I cannot translate completely." Khanna absently said, as she glanced over the hallway once more.

"Disappointing." he concluded the conversation, and she felt no urge to continue it.

She was surprised that this… Person, Dar'kajo was the same one who wrote her that letter two months ago, calling her to investigate a newly discovered ruin in chase of knowledge, riches and fame. The letter was so intelligent and ingenious while the Khajiit before her… Well, he just wasn't all that. Perhaps he yet had the time to shine.

"Shush." She told him, although the silence around them was complete. After a few seconds spent trying to decide whether her mind was playing tricks on her, she turned her head towards the Khajiit and slowly nodded to him, signaling that they were ready to continue. _The laughter was just an illusion, don't think about the nonsense from the past._ Now was not the time for her childhood memories to come to the surface. Shaking her head slightly, she decided she was ready to continue.

The large gate was made from ebony. Dark and beautiful, it almost seemed as if it was alive under her gaze. That was it, the inner sanctum of the place, still no draugr on sight and her companion finally shut his mouth. With her hand, she slowly touched the cold metal beneath her fingers. Whatever might be behind these doors could mark her life. She closed her eyes for a second, hoping that it wasn't just a simple burial chamber or another alchemy chamber. Let it be books, or inscribed walls or at the very least treasures.

Khanna opened her eyes and with a solid push opened the door before her. The room in front of her was gigantic and the walls were beautifully carved and well preserved in metals and stone. Khanna let out a breath and felt some of the pressure fall off her shoulders. Her Khajiit companion barged into the room, while she marveled the beauty of the place, and started pulling out the gems and engraved metals from the walls. She was far too enthralled with everything to notice his actions.

"So beautiful." she said breathlessly under her breath.

The room was a large, decorated in Nordic ornaments and vases, but among them she could see a few decorations from different origins. A temple made by more races? That was very unusual. Most of the room was taken by a large table surrounded by decorated thrones. Although most of the scrolls were destroyed and soaked in dirt and water, Khanna had her hopes for the walls surrounding the place.

The western wall was written in Nordic carvings and she quickly read the first few paragraphs. It only took so much for her eyes to widen and her heartbeat to fasten. This wasn't a temple for Gods, it was as far from it as it gets.

"Dar'kajo… I think this isn't what you suspected it was." she told him. No one answered her. Slowly, Khanna turned around only to face a blade stuck at her face. A grin was playing on the Khajiit's face.

"Ah, the Halfling understood." he said "Now, slowly put your blades on the ground."

Without much other option, Khanna took both her blades and placed them on the ground near her feet, her gaze never leaving his face.

"I never wanted the gems, you could've taken them and left." she told him.

"You aren't so bright as they say you are, are you?" he chuckled "I don't care about the gems so much. I want my masters to come back and reward me for my loyal services."

"Your masters…" she could fell her own heart beat fasten "The Daedra."

"Ah, yes. The Daedra." he confirmed "Now, all you have to do is be a nice little sacrifice. It will all be over soon."

Khanna was instructed towards the large altar behind the table. She rested on the cold metal surface, and the Khajiit summoned his masters. But in that moment only one question whirled around her head. Was it too late to start praying?

* * *

**A/N : I started this story based on a dream I've had a few weeks ago. It was kinda stuck in my head and I couldn't do anything about it, so I decided that it was perhaps best to get it out and write it as a story. I honestly have no idea how long will I be writing it or how many chapters will it have. Also, Khanna is my character in Skyrim, and a Dragonborn, but right in this story she isn't the D-born but just a young scholar and a halfling (Breton-Nord) who's very invested in her research. Also, the story will feature the real Dragonborn, since all this is happening in the same time when the dragons are coming back. So, basically it will be a story similar to the main plotlines and faction plotlines(still haven't made any decisions on factions...), but completely unique. So, everything that's happening is pretty much my idea :D Also, special attention will be paid to Daedric questions! **

**Very possible romance somewhere in the near future! If anyone has any ideas s/he would like to incorporate, please contact me. I am totally open for alomst anything! This will be rated T until further notice(but perhaps it even goes to M, since there will be some very graphic violence descriptions)!**

**I would love some feedback on this! Thanks for reading! :3**

**Oh, and sorry for the mistakes in my English. It's not my mother language so I feel a bit shaky when writing xD I'll pay as much attention as I can!**


	2. Sore Loser

**A/N: And here Khanna's adventure in the lost temple continues! Thanks for all the support, and I really hope I'll manage to live up to your expectations… Let's get to the next chapter then!**

**~khatariah**

* * *

2.

The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth and she finally released her lip. It was a bad habit, but seeing that she was on the brink of death, it didn't seem to matter. The torches around the room were now lit and gave an eerie impression to the room. A soft chill went down her spine as she heard the Khajiit speaking.

Her hands were tied as she rested there helplessly. She was going to get sacrificed to the freaking daedras. What an irony. Searching for a way out she glanced over the room. She had no intentions dying without resistance. Mingling on the cold ebony she could clearly see a spiral staircase on her right that led to a higher platform that overlooked the large room.

"Stop it." The Khajiit's voice interrupted her. He took a lock of her hair with a smirk. It was ruby red and vivid as it shimmered on the light of the nearby fire. "You are not getting out of here alive… But you should be proud that you will be sacrificed to the masters. You are a gift they won't refuse."

Khanna resisted the urge of saying something rash. Things like that could get her to her death much faster than planned. The Khajiit opened his sack and reached for something that looked like an organ… A heart. Khanna doubted it came from an animal. He placed it on the altar above her head. Then he took a large vial of a dark red liquid and splattered it all over her. Blood filled her mouth once again.

As he finished the chanting and the first half of the ritual he closed his eyes and raised his hands above his head, a blissful expression on his face. It didn't take long for her to feel a strange shift in the room. It wasn't pleasant and she felt like her blood was boiling in her veins, wanting to escape. A shuddering sigh came from her mouth. It felt wrong.

"You feel it, don't you? The all-consuming power pressing you, devouring pieces of you." The Khajiit lowered his arms slowly and opened his eyes. "Imagine how will it be when they arrive!" he happily chuckled.

"Stop this until it's too late." Khanna mingled on the altar "You are dealing with forces no one should! Why do you think this temple has been abandoned for such a long time? This is too much for anyone to bear."

"Stupid humans are guilty for everything." A dark tone came from Khajiit's voice "Weak. Unable to bear the glory and power given to them by the masters. But, once I unleash the gifts from my masters, this temple will once again rise, and the world will tremble before the power!"

"You are crazy." She said under her breath as she looked over him, her eyes wide in terror. How did she get herself so tangled in this. She was a scholar, not someone to be sacrificed to monsters from Oblivion. Hell, she barely ever dealt with religious matters and here she was now.

As the Khajiit raised the beautifully crafted dagger above her chest, she could feel her heatbeat fasten. That was it. She will never uncover anything important. She will never get to make things right with her family, with the friends she left… With Him. They will all think she abandoned them, while her corpse rots in a god forsaken temple in the middle of snowy Skyrim.

As the dagger slammed downwards towards her chest, Khanna turned her head away and shut her eyes with all the force left in her body. Pain, blood and adrenaline. That was sure to come, Khanna expected to feel it any moment.

_Gone, gone, gone…_

_It's over… I'm over…_

Complete silence.

Was this how death felt like? She didn't expect it to be so… Calm, dark and soothing. She had expected pain but she felt completely normal. Except, there was an itch around her wrists. Were dead people supposed to feel itchy? Khanna didn't think so, but then again she never met anyone who died to test that out.

Her eyes were still close, she realized with a frown. Was she ready to open them? Will Sovngarde expect her on the other side, or will it be the damned Oblivion? Her eyelids slowly opening, she glanced over a dark room, only illuminated by few torches. Her frown deepened. It was the room in the temple. Was she supposed to haunt the halls of this damned place forever?

She turned her head upwards only to face a dagger, half an inch away from her throat. It was frozen in place, and so was the Khajiit holding it with a hysterical expression on his face. The flames around the room were also frozen in place. Khanna wasn't dead and her heart beating hard on her rib cage proved that theory.

Rolling over, carefully, off the altar Khanna managed to get on her feet. Her wrists were reddened from the rope and she needed to find a way to cut her hands loose. On the other hand, she didn't know how much time she had before everything comes back to life. She had no intentions of getting back on that altar.

"Sharp… Something sharp." she chanted out loud as she looked around. Looking at the Khajiit and his blade that was threatening the altar she pulled her wrists as far apart as she could and put the rope to the blade. The rope was thinning as she rubbed it up and down the sharp blade, until it finally tore and her hands were free.

Khanna ravaged through the sack on the ground and took her dagger back. She looked over to the large ebony door she first came through. It was closed and locked, as she realized when she yanked it. _Who closed the door behind us_? she wondered. There was no way out through there.

Having no other option she turned away and started climbing up the spiral staircase up to the higher platform.

_'Not even a thank you?'_ a voice echoed in her mind.

Khanna turned her head towards the platform down. She could see the Khajiit, still unmoving, the altar and the large table with thrones, but no one else. It was her brain playing games with her, she tought. Turning away she was disappointed to find only more stone, and no way out. There were no levers or hidden buttons she could see.

_'Like an animal in a cage, isn't she?' _another voice slammed through her mind. Khanna looked around again, unable to determine where the voices are coming from.

_'Ah, it seems she noticed us.' _the third voice claimed_ 'Shall we make our appearance?'  
_

_'But it's much more fun this way!' _yet another voice said.

_'No need to be rude to our guest.' _the third voice appeared once more.

All this was awfully confusing to Khanna. Her daggers were now out and ready. One near-death experience was enough for a day. She had no intentions of doing all that again.

_'You. Girl!' _a dark voice commanded her_ 'If you wish to live, you need to leave us something in return.'_

She might as well respond, since there was none to witness it. Now seemed the right time to question her sanity.

"I had no intentions of dying in the first place." she firmly said. Her words were met with a chuckle.

_'I'm telling you. I like this one.' _the first of the voices said once more.

_'A life for a life then, mortal._' the commanding voice returned _'Kill the Khjaiit and you are free to leave.'_

"All the ways out are locked." she said.

_'Locked for a mortal like you, but wide open for us.'_ one of the voices said_ 'Kill him, and we will show you.'_

The voice faded as she felt some of the pressure fall of her shoulders. What the hell was that? Was it a vision, was she going mad? The cracking of fire made her jump a little. It was back to life, as it vividly painted the walls with shadows. And with the fire the Khajiit's dagger hit the ebony altar and smashed into hundreds of little pieces. His fiery gaze found Khanna once again.

"I will carve you until there is nothing left of your body." his tone was full of hatred as he reached the spiral staircase and Khanna. She had no other options but to fight the madman and get out of the place alive. Throwing curses and words that would shame anyone, the Khajiit proved to be quite a challenge for Khanna. She wielded her daggers as fast as she could, but his rage was hard to miss. A scratch on her cheek, on her forearm, on her neck... They were all surface wounds but they still were painful as she moved around.

Seeing an opportunity she couldn't miss, an opening on his left side, Khanna stuck her dagger as deep as she could into his chest. She didn't stop pushing until the dagger reached the other side of his body.

As the Khajiit slipped on the floor there was a blissful expression in his eyes. The door opened with a screetch and Khanna turned her head towards it. When she turned back to face the body of her enemy, it was gone...

_We will be watching._

Khanna left the damned place with a shudder. Somehow she felt like she brought something out to the surface with her.


	3. The Game Changer

**a/n: I am sooo glad I got so many good reviews! Thanks so much on the nice words to everyone! ^^**

* * *

**3. The Game Changer**

_one month later_

It was one of those days again, as Khanna concluded grimly. Her hands were slightly above her head as she kept a stern look on her face. Nine guards were poking their swords in her direction and her daggers were abandoned on the ground. Damn Skyrim was now really getting on her nerves, and if the borders weren't as closed as they are, considering the raging civil war, she would've fled weeks ago. Instead, she was stuck in the frozen wasteland with no money, job or a home to return to.

"Khanna Demeris, you have violated the law of Skyrim." the Captain of the Guard said to her "You are to be locked into prison, until further notice."

It just wasn't her day… Or week. Perhaps the last few years have been going badly after all, and she just didn't wish to admit it to herself. As the guards took all of her possessions and instructed her to the dark dungeons, Khanna knew that even there things won't stay quiet for long. Things never are with her around.

The sharp smell coming from her new cell made Khanna twitch a bit. At least she had a roof over her head, which was more than she had in the past few weeks. Coming from the far north of the continent as far away from the forsaken temple as she could, Khanna didn't stop on her way south. It was a rocky and cold way, and there were days that she was just minutes from freezing to death. Unfortunately, after all that happened, she had no intention to die there in that way.

* * *

She couldn't sleep the first night, so she kept pacing around the cell. Her only entertainment was listening to the guards as they gossiped about the Jarls and the current events in the state. The main topic was the civil war that has been raging on for a bit over a month.

"Have you heard about Helgen?" one of the heavy accented voices asked, breaking the midnight silence.

"Heard that not much is left of it." the other voice answered "It was all burned to the ground. No survivors."

"Aye. Just ashes and burnt buildings." the first one agreed.

"That's not what I heard." another voice said, trying to keep his voice lower "I heard that there were few who survived. And they have been spreading some nasty rumors."

Khanna now looked through the bars of her cell. Something strange was happening, and she couldn't really put her finger on it, but there was a strange feeling in her stomach that something important was happening. She tried to concentrate her attention to the voices outside.

"Crazy bastards." The first one said louder "Dragons, they said. The smoke must've clouded their minds." he took a loud sip of ale.

"I don't know if it's truth or not." the quiet one continued "But I say we should be careful and watch for the skies."

"Aye, I agree with the lad." the third one said after contemplating about it a few seconds "No harm in being careful. You never know what the Gods prepared for us."

Upon agreeing on the matter, the guards got up from their table and went separate ways. One of them, however stayed to watch the cells. Khanna moved from the bars, puzzled by the new information she just got. Perhaps going to prison was… Educational, after all.

As she heard footsteps passing in front of her cell, without much thinking she spoke.

"Where is Helgen situated?" her hands were once more gripping the bars of her cells as she looked at the passing guard.

"Falkreath Hold." he answered after looking over her "But, it's no place for a woman. Not even your type of woman. It's full of dead and scavengers ready to kill some more."

Khanna wanted to argue about what he meant when he said 'her type of woman' but decided to keep her mouth shut. No point in losing her only source of information over something so 'petty 'as her morals. She opened her mouth to ask some more questions about dragons, since the scholar in her couldn't be so easily satisfied with so few answers, but the older guard stopped her.

"Enough. Go to sleep." He dismissed her "You are to be released tomorrow. That is the penance for stealing cabbage." And before Khanna could stop him or say anything more, he passed by and left her in darkness again. Stealing cabbage didn't seem to be enough a crime to spend a night in the prison, besides she was starving.

With thought of dragons, Helgen and the crime of stealing cabbage, Khanna fell asleep. Who knew you could actually get used to the stink?

* * *

Few streaks of light passed through the bars of her window, as she slowly woke up from her uncomfortable poor excuse for a bed, which was in fact a pile of straw. Raising her heavy head up, she pulled a few streaks of 'the bed' from her red hair and got up. Looking around the small space she was confined to, her eyes locking with her target, Khanna raised a metal tankard from the cold floor. With a small smirk she started banging it over the metal bars in front of her.

Curses and shouting started almost immediately. The effect was just as Khanna wanted it to be.

"What in Oblivion are you doing, woman?" a guard came up with a deep frown.

"I'm waking up the crime in Riften." she said with a smirk "Now, since my penance is over, open my cage and let me go and kindly return my things." Once more she hit the bars with the metal tankard, making an uncomfortable noise in the process.

"Just leave already." He said, as he unlocked her cell with his frown deepening even more "Your 'library' is on the table." The guard told her sarcastically as she passed by him.

Khanna did bring a bunch of books with her. Twelve of them, actually, as much as she could possibly muster to carry around without too much trouble. Searching though her bag she discovered that her things were all there, with her daggers and her twenty gold pieces.

Once again, she was on the sunny streets of Riften, free as any criminal skulking around. She took a deep breath of fine smelling air, which was a nice change from the air she used to breath in the cell, and started walking through, observing and trying to decide what her next move should be.

As she sat on the small wall surrounding the center of the town, she started creating a plan in her head. She was stuck in Skyrim, that much was for sure, but she decided she won't interfere with the state of things. No need for her to get entangled in the war, dragons or guilds. What she needed to do was to get a job and a roof over her head. Riften seemed like a good enough place to start, although she and Riften had a rough start. As she jumped off the low wall a hand caught her shoulder.

"Crime in Riften never sleeps." She couldn't recognize the voice, nor the face of the large man in front of her "But it's well hidden to the unskilled eye."

"Seeing how full the prison was, I'd say that crime in Riften doesn't exist." I answered, crossing my arms.

"Newcomer, then you know nothing about Riften." He smirked, and Khanna couldn't decide whether that was a malicious smirk or not "Anyway, if you stay a bit longer in the city, you'll see it with your own eyes… Good luck."

The man left, as quick as he appeared, leaving Khanna confused. She didn't even get to ask for his name, not that she mattered much. But, somehow she felt as if he knew her from somewhere. I was impossible, since she left Skyrim when she was three years old and left for High Rock. Shaking her head slightly, Khanna decided not to lose her head over it. Strange people were everywhere.

* * *

"So, one more question." Khanna said, drinking from her tankard. The lizard-woman in front of her was a good source of gossips and rumors. Seems like this city indeed was much dirtier than expected.

"Anything strange happening around Skyrim?" she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. She had little use of dirt from people's secrets.

"Except dragons, the Thalmor and vampire attacks?" she looked confused "I don't think much stranger things can happen."

"I wouldn't bet on that." Khanna raised her eyebrows. The more she knew about Skyrim, the less things could surprise her. It was a small miracle anyone still lived in this place.

"You're right, traveller." She nodded "But I have this theory about these strange things." The argonian came nearer before she spoke "I think it's all somehow connected. And I think it is far from over."

A slight chill came down her spine as Khanna remembered the temple that sealed her fate a month ago. She still had nightmares that will probably haunt her for the rest of her life.

"Also, there have been stories of a man who survived the hell in Helgen." The Argonian said "People have been telling strange stories about him."

"What kind of stories?" now Khanna came nearer to her, a sparkle of interest in her eyes.

"The wicked ones, the kind full of magic and myths." She whispered "They say he is the Dragonborn."

Khanna took a sip of her drink with her eyes not really focused on anything. She was thinking. This was a game changer, and as much as she wanted to run away as far as she could from this place, something was drawing her into the chaos and straight in the center of this mess.

"So…" she finally smirked "Where can I find this Dragonborn?"

* * *

**A/N: So, Khanna will probably get herself into some more trouble really soon! Also, big things coming up next, as the next chapter will be marked as the first one with actual Daedra encounters! One more thing, the Dragonborn will come and go in my plot, so he isn't really the main character or anything. Oh, and I was just wondering, what would you prefer for Khanna to do: join the Thieves Guild or the Dark Brotherhood? I'm going to incorporate both factions in the story, just want to see which one would you wish to see more!**

**-khatariah**


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